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Aging NFL players: Studies point to increased risk of depression

(CBS News) The family of star linebacker Junior Seau filed a lawsuit against the NFL on Wednesday, saying his suicide was linked to brain disease caused by the violent hits to the head he suffered while playing. The lawsuit comes as two new studies show National Football League players appear to be at an increased risk of depression as they age, due to brain damage from concussions.

In a study published in the American Academy of Neurology, researchers compared retired NFL players, with a history of four concussions each, to non-athletes with no concussion history. The former players showed greater evidence of depression in their thinking, mood and physical symptoms.

A second study appearing in the same publication used MRI scans on 26 athletes. They measured damage to the white matter in the brain, an area typically affected by traumatic brain injury. Researchers could predict with nearly 100 percent accuracy which athletes suffered from depression.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 3.8 million sports concussions occur each year, and a series of high profile suicides and battles with depression have drawn attention to the serious risks posed by the injuries.